Candyman
by Kuroneko Hikage
Summary: AU. Ichigo sees him every day... but who is he? 2007 June Challenge - End of School


Title: Candyman  
Author: Me! -le gasp-  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairings: IchiHitsu (Who else)  
Warnings: Perverted Ichigo. AU ^^ I think there are one or two swear words in there... Yaoi-ness!  
Summary: Ichigo sees him every day... but who is he? 2007 June Challenge - End of School

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. I DO own: Gaara(red Env2 phone), Hitsugaya Toshiro(3rd Gen. green ipod nano), Vincent(ps2), Sephiroth(Nintendo DS), several anime cases (Shigure, Ayame, Kureno, Akito, Hatsuharu), A recently purchased Girugamesh CD, and an almost empty box of Cinnamon Chex! (That's really yummy.)

A/N: Yeah, written for the June 2007 End of School Challenge. -Scratches head- I don't remember who won, though. It wasn't me. Hmm... I'll have to find out sometime when I'm not too lazy to look. XD Anyway, I hope this is received as well as it was on the IchiHitsu LJ comm! -Bows- As always, please tell me what you think!

~*~

The city of Karakura was a metropolis marvel with its monorails, subways and other regularly scheduled transits. Buildings fit neatly together, and the architectural shape of the city gave it a futuristic feel. Even in the future, though, one as young as seventeen still had to go to school.

Ichigo Kurosaki lived in a small clinic owned by his father, Isshin, on the outskirts of town. They received patients from motor vehicle accidents, though the worst gets sent to the district's local hospital. The Kurosaki Clinic's main function was just tending to their neighbors, located in the thirteenth district.

The closest school Ichigo attended, South Karakura High, was located two districts away, in the tenth. After a couple of years of going to that place, the orange-top had figured a system of sorts to follow. Every morning, at the Sogyo no Kotowari Station, he descended the stairs to catch the seven-fifteen subway. It took about half an hour, but he usually kept his ipod on and distracted himself with a manga. He never had to worry about money for the trip, since his father bought him a yearly student pass.

Usually, if allotted a five-minute window, he would arrive at the Hyorinmaru Station in the tenth district at seven-forty-five, which gave him fifteen minutes to get to school. However, getting to and going through a day of school was pretty simplistic. His hair and looks attracted enough attention, so he held himself back by achieving average grades and only choosing a small group to hang out with. His childhood friend, Tatsuki, went to the same school, and so he mostly hung with her.

Those motivational speeches teachers give at the begining of the school year about 'expanding your horizon, find what you want to do in life, and always give every task your best' weren't rubbed into his head firmly enough.

The ride home was a different story. Sometimes, the ride home was the only reason he went to school.

Ichigo got out of school fifteen minutes before the next subway was headed towards his district. It wasn't too crowded at that time, but to the point where people would start doubling up in the pair seating charts. He was usually one of the first people to snag a window seat for himself. Usually, people tended to let him sit alone, his friends joking that his constant scowl wasn't any help. After the final warning announcement before departure, that is when _he_ would appear.

Shiro-chan is a nickname he'd taken to calling him for just the fact that he had white hair, and that he'd never asked his real name. The kid often dressed nicely, if punkish. An example that Ichigo couldn't help but drool over would be last week's outfit; darkwash jeans, a sleeveless, blue hoodie unzipped halfway down his chest to show a white tank, dog tags dangling from his neck, and a clear view of the Division Ten gang tattoo on his chest.

People always drew Ichigo's attention. Others' lives always piqued his curiosity. He wanted to get to know them, to understand why they dress or act a certain way. He didn't know why, presuming that it was a trait passed to him from his mother. His parents' marriage was a perfect balance. His father got to know his patients through anatomy and biology and physical healing. His mother dug deeper, into her patients' minds, helping them heal mentally.

Ichigo knew where his interests in Shiro-chan lie. First and foremost; that tattoo and it's history. In particular, Shiro's history. The boy looked young enough to be starting his first year of middle school, or something. Did he have any friends? Did he consider his gang members friends? What did his parents think? Did he even have parents? Secondly; Where he goes. Ichigo rode the subway every day for all three high school years, and because there are no schools in the eleventh district, there weren't any middle schools in the tenth. Ichigo only started to see him a year ago, so he doubted he went to South Karakura High. He'd be easily picked out. For the better or for the worse, he wasn't quite sure.

And third, last but not least; every time Ichigo saw him, he would be sucking on some sort of hard-candied confection skeward with a stick that hung out of his mouth. Ichigo normally wouldn't describe a lollipop so elaborately, but the kid was sitting close enough that Ichigo could see the elaborate dance his tongue did with that thing. It seemed as if he were sucking on something other than just a plain ol' sucker.

At first, Ichigo had dismissed it as random selection when he sat next to him. There was no room, and there weren't many people in their car that really cared about their personal hygine. Over the course of the year, he began to pay attention him and learn what he was like. Shiro-chan had candy of all colors, but Ichigo later found that he prefered the blues and greens when he was mildly amused or happy, Peaches and pinks when he was in neutral moods, and reds and purple when he was annoyed or angry.

The one thing that bugged him was _why_.

A vein in his head throbbed with anger. After walking into the clinic's living room, he picked up a conveniently placed lion plushie from the floor and threw it against the opposite wall, watching it slide down and wedge contortedly between a karate trophy and photo of his mother on a shelf. He couldn't bring himself to care. The bus kid hadn't ever said a single word to him. Not once in the entire year he'd seen him. And since this was his last year of high school...

He sighed and flopped tiredly onto the couch. He had always thought that teen angst was overrated, but experiencing it for himself just might sway his opinion on that.

Today had been his last day of school, the graduation ceremony being held tomorrow. He doubted he'd be seeing Shiro anymore, unless they randomly crossed paths. Shiro didn't seem to pay him too much attention. Ichigo could only tell what he was feeling, not what he was thinking. And it was going to be hard for him to accept that he was never going to find out.

Ichigo stood back up, grabbing his stuff and making his way to his room, nodding to Yuzu in the upstairs hallway where she was vacuuming. He had to change for later tonight. Tatsuki, Orihime, Chad, Ishida, Rukia and himself were going out to celebrate their release from teachers and homework and tests. The Lakefront was one of their favorite places to go since it had an arcade, mini-golf, and numerous restaruants. Tatsuki also mentioned a fair opening up that night.

He changed into a dark red wife beater with a black skull on it, black jeans and tennishoes, also wrapping several black cord-like bracelets around one wrist, and a choker on his neck. Shiro was a punk, but Ichigo was a bit of a goth rock star. His friends once accused him of being one in desguise. He made his way towards the bathroom, hearing Yuzu worry about the plushie on the high shelf.

"Oh, Kon! How did you get way up there?! Was Ichi-nii being mean to you?"

Stiffling a chuckle, he pulled out his make-up kit. Eyeliner, mascara, and a bit of foundation was all he would ever permit on his face. Try to put blush and lipstick on him and your death will not be pretty. One of his classmates had almost suffered this fate a year ago.

After fixing his hair into a styled mess of spikes, he put his stuff away and made his way downstairs. Nodding to Yuzu, Ichigo grabbed a black jacket and his keys.

"Oniisan, you aren't going out _again_, are you?" She rushed over to him and gave his sleeve a tug. "I'm making dinner tonight."

Ichigo smiled, settling a hand atop her head. "You cook dinner every night, regaurdless if I'm here or not." He gave her head a small pat. "Don't worry. I'll be back later. My friends want to spend some times with me."

"But you do that at school."

He laughed. "Well, not anymore. We might be going to different colleges next year." Yuzu still looked depressed, so he knelt down to her level. "How about I help you make lunch tomorrow before my graduation ceremony? You can be the master chef and order me around. I am your willing slave." He acted out that last sentance with a humble bow, causing her to giggle.

"Okay."

He offered her a hug and she took it, nuzzling her face into the warmth of his chest. "Make sure Karin and Dad don't fight too much tonight?" She nodded, letting his stand up. "Good." He gave her hair one last tossle before exiting.

~*~

Ichigo sat on the bench just inside the station's gates. After looking at the schedules, he had to call his friends to let them know he'd be a little late. Because it was later in the day, the subway stopped here every hour. He had thirty minutes to kill. They were all meeting at Chad's place, which was located in the eighth district, quite the long ride.

He wasted about ten minutes discussing their plans for tonight. Inoue said something about her cousin that might be going, too, but he didn't really care about that. The gang was thinking about starting at the begining of the dock and working their way down toward the fair. It sounded good to him. Knowing the girls, they'd probably want to check all of the stores for some new summer clothes. Now, Ichigo didn't really mind clothes. He wasn't obsessively paranoid about his appearance, but he liked to make sure he looked good when he went out.

A combination of thumbing through about four hundred songs on his ipod and slurping a blue-raspberry slushie from a nearby vendor passed the time. He was fiddling with Tetris on his phone when the train pulled in, stopping, and letting most of its passengers off. After the crowds passed him, Ichigo got up, gained two points by tossing the cup into the trash, and walked into one of the cars. One or two people dotted this area at both ends, so he opted for taking one of the middle seats.

He resumed his game of Tetris, barely registering that they'd pulled off. What did fully register was the warm body plopping next to his.

Ichigo glanced up to see who it was, and almost had to do a double take at the image. It was Shiro-chan, a face that he thought he'd never see again. A body he thought he'd never be able to drool over again. Complete with a sucker that he thought he'd never envy again. Inwardly, he started freaking out. Right now a chibi-sized strawberry was running around an empty part of his brian, flailing and wondering what to do.

Since he knew that this was just a freak chance of meeting, and later their run-ins would be few and far between, he felt like he really should try to do or say something. He wouldn't know what to ask, though, being usually anti-social to stranger. But was Shiro-chan really a stranger? He felt like he knew nothing, and yet everything, about him. Well, he could start off with his name, since he really didn't know that, but he might get offended and ask why he wanted to know it. What if the people thought of him as a pedophile? What if _Shiro-chan_ thought he was a pedophile?

Tired from thinking like this so much, and almost to the point of physically slumping in depression, Ichigo forcefully put his attention back to Tetris. He found it was hard to concentrate on his game, though, when the object of all things wet, naughty, and downright arousing was sitting next to him. The boy was wearing black, grey and white army-print cargos that seemed to fit the bottom half of his physique very well, a studded black belt, black fingerless gloves, and a t-shirt that said "I'm better than the army."

Ichigo's first thought was, _better at what?_ It took a minute for it to sink in. _Oh..._ He hid his smirk. Shiro-chan really is a punk, and if he went by what the t-shirt says, a bit of a pervert, too.

He went back to playing his game before quickly glancing at the sucker in the boy's mouth. Spherical in shape and red in color, must be annoyed about something. Curfew? School? Girlfriend? He did _not_ want to think about that last one. Girlfriend! No way! Unless Shiro-chan told him directly, he was going to be in perminant denial! But he needed to coax that information out of him, which brings him back to the first problem, actually greeting him.

Ending the third level of his game, Ichigo flipped the phone closed and pushed it into the inner coat pocket. He took the time to think for a minute about what to say, then turned off his ipod. Since his neighbor was annoyed and slighly unhappy, he decided to be casual and, hopefully, himself. His legs weren't shaking, were they? He double-checked by pressing his feet firmly to the floor. He let his hands rest on his thighs, and turned to Shiro-chan to start a hopeful convesation... and connected to two icy eyes that seemed to be looking right back at him.

With an amused eyebrow, no less. What did he find so funny? This was hard on Ichigo! Nevertheless, Ichigo put on a smile. "Hi."

Okay, not necessarily a bad start, but not impressive, either. He watched as Shiro-chan nodded in response, not saying a word. What Ichigo wouldn't give to hear his voice. He decided to try again, this time not asking a question that only needed a shake or nod for an answer.

"I'm Ichigo. Nice to meet you." He held out his hand. Shiro-chan took it in his own, mouth still wrapped tightly around that sucker, voice silent. He didn't really ask his name, though, just introduced himself. He didn't have to say anything, and the orange-haired teen got the impression that he either didn't want to, or he was messing with him and staying quiet as long as he could, like some sort of game. If the sucker was to go by, then he could be doing either one.

He opened his mouth to try again, but the instant he did, one of Shiro's fingers flew up to silence him, resting on his lips. He froze, his entire body tensing with that simple gesture. Granted it was just his finger, but it was skin all the same, Shiro-chan's skin on his lips. He resisted the urge to lick and suck it like he did to that lollipop.

"Later."

Shiro just gave him a smirk, before letting his lips go and returned his attention to his candy. Ichigo didn't know whether to scream, swear, cry, or jump him. He wanted to do all at the same time. That strawberry is now doubling his efforts to run itself out of his head, crashing into his skull and landing harshly, giving him a headache.

He was in such heartbreak. His Shiro-chan didn't want to talk to him. And what did he mean by 'later'? He pushed down the want to sniffle and opened his phone again, hoping to get past another five games in order to calm down.

~*~

It took seven. His mind was no longer tense, and he could breathe regularly. It was good timing, too, as Station Eight, Katen Kyokotsu, came into view. Shiro had finished and gotten a new sticked candy to munch on. This time, it looked green. Ichigo wanted to believe that the change in mood was because of his presence, but he quickly shot that down before he became too hopeful. To assume things like that iskind of childish.

The subway haulted and opened it's doors, letting everyone out. Ichigo stood, surprised when Shiro-chan stood, too. So this might be the district where he lives...

Filing out, he watched his Shiro-chan walk into a seemingly random direction. Shrugging and walking off, too, he flipped his phone open and called Chad to tell him of his arrival. Seeing Shiro had made him happy, yes, but then it made his seriously depressed again. He could feel his curiosity welling up. Just who is that kid? Why did he stop him from at least trying to make good conversation. And what was up with that one-worded response?

Ishigo was only halfway paying attention to Chad as they spoke of what the girls wanted to do, how many of Orehime's cousins were going, and what was going to be their choice of food. The other half was concentrated on getting out of the congested walkways of the subway halls, and a smaller portion portion of that was wondering where Shiro-chan had gone, considering to just stop and turn around to follow him. But he wouldn't ditch his friends like that, so he kept walking and talking.

Chad's monotonous voice drifted through one ear, circled about his head, then flew out the other ear. He grabbed bits and pieces of information. Two of Orihime's cousins, thrift stores, the Uruhara Deli, and something about the bus shuttle that goes to the dock not operating so they'd have to take the upper-level tram. He nodded through all of this, verbally saying so when needed.

Chad kept him on the phone long enough for him to get out of the station. "I'll see you in a bit, Chad. I just got out." He climbed the stairs to the upper street. "I'l see you in five." With the other's affirmed voice, he hung up. He walked over to a bus, finding that it did, indeed, go by where he needed, and hopped on. He sat near the front this time, so he would easily pinpoint when his stop would be coming up. On foot, it was probably half an hour, but by bus it should only take about five-to-seven minutes. The huge time save would have Orihime ecstatically jump around and hug him for not being lazy about being punctual. The hypocrite, since she's always daydreams and then loses her way to school.

After one more person boarded, the bus doors closed and they were off. However, another came to him. That last person was none other than Shiro! Ichigo could not count it as another coincidence this time, when Shiro-chan decided again to sit next to him. Fate would be too cruel to let this be a pure, unfiltered, humorous fluke of luck. He could be his stalker!

While Ichigo tried once more to stay calm, a random teenage girl -I've never seen her before in my life- walked up to Shiro and gave him an all-too-friendly smile.

"Hey there, Handsome."

A glare.

"My name is-"

"I don't care about your name, " Shiro said, wrappping an arm around Ichigo's waist. Not particularly liking the girls since she was hitting on _his_Shiro, he wrapped an arm around his shoulders in response, giving her a evil look.

She looked torn between mumbling apologies and glaring back at the two. She chose the former, but Ichigo could still see the later creeping in as she went back to her seat next to all of her friends.

Shiro-chan's arm didn't back away, and Ichigo could have sworn he had flower vision. This strange mental image that mental strawberry guided to his eyes of them, beautifully and artfully posed amoungst a field of flowers! Unsure of where that had come, he settled back into his chair for the now-four-minute ride, unconsciously lettling his hold tighten a little on Shiro's shoulder, and missing the smirk he got in return.

~*~

That girl was still leering around them when Ichigo's stop came up. Not really feeling like leaving Shiro-chan to deal with her, and him thinking the same, they both got off the bus. They acted perfectly normal for total strangers. Keeping his arm around and on his shoulders, he guided him out onto the side walk. They stood a moment, letting the bus drive off into the distance.

When it was quiet again, Ichigo scratched the back of his head. "Sorry about that. I made you get off to soon. Where is it you need to go?"

Shiro-chan took his arm from behind his head and clasped it with his own. "No, this is the way I need to go. Exactly where you're going."

"Huh?"

That confused the hell out of him. Shiro-chan was going with him to Chad's? No way this guy would know his friends! They would've told him about him. Well, technically, Ichigo never told them about his crush on the boy in the subway. In all fairness to them, he should've said something.

Ichigo could feel Shiro wrapping his arm around his, taking Ichigo's hand in his other. "Shh. Jus walk with me."

~*~

It seemed like forever, but they finally arrived at Chad's place. A couple of minutes with this guy and he felt like he'd been in his company forever. What made him feel this way, he couldn't say. Shiro is quiet, and Ichigo had been warned by his parents tht it was the quiet ones he had to watch out for.

Arriving at the tall apartment building, they separated, and he let Shiro-chan push the doorbell. Ichigo imagined the others should already be there. Shiro managed to push another green sucker into his mouth just before Chad opened the door. Does that kid ever get hyper?

The Mexican towered over them, greeting them and letting them in, Shiro too. When they greeted the other, introduction were in order.

"Guys, these are my cousins. Rangiku-san and Toshiro-san." He could see the resemblance. Orangish-red hair, and big breasts. He looked down at the smirking kid. So, his name is Toshiro. Looks like he won't have to stop using his nickname for him afterall.

~*~

"Oi, Shiro-chan." Ichigo stands corrected, with a lump atop his head.

~*~

"Ichigo," Inoue cried, "help me out?"

He randomly pointed to a purple tank top with a black butterfly and the word 'hell' under it.

She squealed a thanks and ran off toward it.

~*~

They were sat in one of the back booths of the pizzaria, all eight of them. Ichigo was squished between the cousins. Ichigo got a kick out of being next to Rangiku. Over dinner that night, he bagan to learn about not only her, but she boasted about Toshiro being a Kendo captain. Rangiku looked like she belonged in college, Toshiro didn't, so he was rightfully flabbergasted to learn they were in the same grade.

Rangiku also mentioned Toshiro only being fifteen, and a kid genious, which is why he has just finished his first year in college. His likes were candy, dragons and kendo, and his dislike for the general populace. Ichigo had already figured that last one out when they were sitting in the bus.

"Say, Toshiro, Rangiku... Where do you go to college?"

"University of Rukongai," Rangiku said happily. Everyone else went bug-eyed.

Rukia nodded. "I heard their entrance exam was tough, and that it was out in the boonies."

"Yeah... The only transport to and from there is in the Twelfth District."

Toshiro snorted. "And almost never runs on-time despite the rest of Karakura's punctuality."

As the rest of the group chattered, Ichigo chose to chew his pizza in thought. He could probably enter into Rukongai. He would have to find out when their next testing is and what percentage of kids actually make the roster. It would take up more energy that he really wanted, but Toshiro was there. If he wanted any sort of chance at being with him, he knew he'd have to be at least as smart as him. He'd have to pass.

His father told him that the way to man's heart is his stomach. He'd never believed in that. With Toshiro, he doubted that too. His brain was the substitute in this case. They would need to play several games of cat and mouse, asking the right questions, giving misleading but accurate responses, lure each other into a battle of words.

Yes, with Ichigo, arguing could very well turn him on, if it could escalate into a batle of tongues, hands, and sex. Discreetly, he checked to make sure no blood came out of his nose.

After dinner, they had finally reached the fair grounds. After getting tickets to go on the rides, they split up into groups. The fair was small enough that they could find each other easily. Most of his friends split for two of the three coasters. Ichigo was still digesting food, and had no want to throw it up. Orihime and Rukia told him it wasn't really a good ride unless you did.

He sat on the bench for a moment, looking around. There were three rollercoasters, five gaming booths, a bumper cars ring, a haunted house, and several food and drink stands. Shrugging, he headed for his last option, the Ferris wheel.

Not too many people were in line, so he didn't have to wait long to get a seat. His hand was interrupted when he tried to pay the man two tickets. Looking to his right, Toshiro was seen doing it for him, handing the man four tickets for the both of them, then leading Ichigo toward their seat. They sat, letting the man put the bar down, and moving the wheel to accomidate another couple.

They stopped frequently and briefly, until they were at the top. Ichigo looked out over the district before letting his eyes fall back to Toshiro. He had another sucker in his mouth, this time yellow. He was quite sure what to make of that one. It could be a neutral, could be a happy. Shiro-chan certainly looked happy.

The chibi-strawberry clicked on the light bulb in his head, and he smirked. He knew how to start that conversation, now.

"Shiro-chan." He glared at him, the use of that nickname really bugged him, for some reason. But he didn't care about that, and went on to continue their conversation. He put his arm around his shoulders, shifting his body closer. "Why do you suck on lollipops so much?"

The boy was only stunned for a moment, Ichigo saw it on his face, before it turned into a smirk. "That is the right question."

He got his answer in an unexpected kiss, Toshiro's hand cupping his cheek, their lips pressed together. Ichigo could only return the sensations Shiro was filling him with. He tasted pineapple, the flavor of the sucker currently in his left hand, his lax grip lossening, it hitting the ground unnoticed. He seized the other boy's hip in a tight, wanton grip.

A second later, they began to fall into a circle, occupying each other's company for the better part of the night.

~*~

Well, how was it? ^^ It's a little older, I'm aware, but I thought I should post it, just for old times' sake. Next story to be update - Untitled Preface, in a week or two, most-likely. Hope you're all ready!


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